DISCOVER
PANTELLERIA

Called Daughter of the Wind for its predisposition to winds, the island is located 70 km from the African coast and 85 km from the Sicilian coast. The cool cobalt-hued water that you can dive into from Balata dei turchi, Cala Levante, Punta Spadillo, Kharuscia, or Martingana, is warmed by the thermal waters of Satarìa, Nikà or the port of Gadir. Its volcanic nature has given rise to tongues of lava stone that plunge into the sea, allowing you to land gently in the blue waters. Among hidden bays, grottoes accessible by sea and beaches (or rather, coves!), Pantelleria offers a riot of colors that are well matched with the backdrop of coastal vegetation and terraced Zibibbo vines overlooking the sea.

Pantelleria is surrounded by phenomena of secondary volcanism that remind us that the volcano is still active. On the slopes of Montagna Grande (836 m), the ancient crater, we can encounter the Favare, water vapor emissions that arise from cracks in the ground. These events make Pantelleria a real open-air spa: at the Lake Venus we can enjoy a natural scrub thanks to the precious muds we find on the seabed; again at the Lake Venus, but also in Satarìa, Nikà or Gadir, we can immerse ourselves in natural tubs of thermal water with temperatures up to 40°; while out trekking,h we can reach the natural sauna of Benikulà, enter this crack in the rock, relax, and enjoy the steam emissions that reach temperatures around 38°. Pantelleria is a great path of natural wellness, that can even be enjoyed in winter.

Pantelleria is sea, nature, food and wine, , but it is also a diffused museum in continuous expansion. It is easy to walk amidst the remains of the ancient villages of the Sesi, Phoenicians, Romans, Carthaginians, Byzantines, Arabs and Normans who inhabited the island over the millennia. These large settlements have shaped this land, a safe and strategic landing place for the wealth of black gold (as Obsidian was called). Today we are left with the traditions, the customs and the remains of the life of those peoples who are still being studied by the international archaeological scene. In ,the sea we can visit the underwater archaeological sites of Gadir, with its treasures of Punic amphorae of inestimable beauty. Going inland we meet the Phoenician Acropolis and the Roman one on the hill of San Marco, the remains of the Basilian monastery, the villages and the Bronze Age necropolis. There are also the Phoenician tombs in Monastero, the megalithic funerary megaliths in the area of the Sèsi, a fishermen’s village of late antiquity and the Barbacane Castle. Pantelleria also hosts a museum of volcanology where you can retrace the island’s natural history.

Pantelleria was the location for the establishment of the first Sicilian National Park in 2016. The island is one of the few destinations where trekking paths weave for over 200 km within a protected natural area: a route that immerses us in the unspoilt nature of the island, giving us breathtaking views of the sea that embraces the terraces of Zibibbo grapes. We can reach out and touch the undisputed nature of an island that is as sweet and wild as the Mediterranean scrub, and as hard as lava stone. Montagna Grande spreads over 1500 hectares of uncontaminated woodland, inhabited by a very varied and enveloping vegetation. The trekking routes reach some very interesting points of the island: you can go through the Monastero Valley, the Grotta del Bagno Asciutto, the thermal waters of Gadir and Lake Venus, the Favare (phenomena of secondary volcanism) and you can also visit the many archaeological sites on Pantelleria. Some of the trekking routes are also suitable for mountain bike lovers (38 km). The National Park covers 80% of the island’s surface; an intoxicating journey through history, flavours and scents that will stay with you forever.

It is easy to come across the wonderful terraces of Arab origin that inhabit the island. The wind has shaped the rock, and nature has shown itself to be resilient: to resist the wind it has taken on new forms, and since 2014 Pantelleria has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its agricultural practice of head-trained bush vines (vite ad alberello). The Zibibbo vine is in fact called “alberello pantesco” because of its trunk, which never exceeds 10 cm. This is why it is cultivated in deep basins that protect the vines from the wind and the climatic conditions that characterize the island. Zibibbo wine and Passito wine are born from this particular vine. The volcanic earth and its fertility have given Pantelleria’s products unique organoleptic properties. Zibibbo DOC is a dry, aromatic wine grown almost exclusively on the island of Pantelleria. Finally, from the drying of the Zibibbo grapes, we obtain the famous Passito, an intense sweet wine, for meditation, that will leave in your mouth the scent and the taste of the grapes left to mature in the sun. Grape picking? It is done exclusively by hand, according to the ancient Pantelleria tradition. Arriving on the island in mid-August we can follow all the stages of harvesting with our own eyes.

Pantelleria is not only a sea island, but also an island of land, of farmers, of tireless workers, and it is from here that the ancient and full gastronomic tradition that enriches Pantelleria’s moments of conviviality begins. The volcanic nature of the island gives the products unique organoleptic characteristics: among the best known products we can not fail to mention are the IGP capers, Passito wine and Zibibbo wine. Among the dishes of excellence, you should not forget to try Pantelleria couscous , inherited from the Arabs and prepared with local fish, Pantelleria salad, made with potatoes, onions and tomatoes, which gives off the scent of Pantelleria oregano and capers, to enhance this simple but essential dish, especially in hot weather, and finally, the bacio pantesco: two crispy wafers that embrace a layer of sweet ricotta. All this can only be accompanied by a good wine: Zibibbo wine, dry and aromatic, perfect for accompanying fish and white meat dishes, and Passito di Pantelleria, a sweet wine for sipping, with an intense amber color, perfect for accompanying desserts.